TCA First Annual Turkish American Youth Congress

On October 9-12, TCA hosted 29 Turkish American undergraduate students, graduate students, and young professionals in Washington, DC for the first Annual Turkish American Youth Leadership Congress.

The group attended meetings and briefings with U.S. Congressional staffers, Turkish and American diplomats, policy experts, and Turkish American activists. The program also featured events highlighting the cultural and national landmarks of Washington, DC. 19Delegates had the opportunity to tour the U.S. Capitol and meet with Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL/4th) and Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA/8th). The delegates also had the chance to visit the Turkish Embassy, where they received a briefing and toured the historical residence. Their visit to the nation's capital was topped off with a jazz concert at the Kennedy Center, a tour of the monuments on the National Mall, and of the Howard Theatre.

For more information about TCA's Turkish American Youth Leadership Congress and the 2014 class, please click here.

TCA Supports Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

TCA sponsored a table at the 37th Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's (CHCI) Awards Gala on October 2nd. This year's gala once again convened the nation's largest and most prestigious gathering of Hispanic nonpartisan, public, and private sector leaders.

TCA Meets with new U.S. Ambassador

TCA President G.Lincoln McCurdy and Vice Presidents Basak Kizildemir and Guler Koknar met with John R. Bass, the new U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, in Ankara on October 31. TCA and TCF programs which help build people-to-people ties between the United States and Turkey were discussed at the meeting. Arriving in Turkey earlier this month, in his most recent assignments, Ambassador Bass served as Executive Secretary of the U.S. State Department and as Ambassador to the Republic of Georgia from 2009-2012.

TCA Sponsors Macedonian Gala

On October 18, TCA participated in the 10th Anniversary Gala of the United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD), an organization which received multi-year major grants from TCA. UMD represents diaspora Macedonians from across the world and has partnered with TCA in outreach on Capitol Hill with two congressional delegations visiting Macedonia under TCA sponsorship.

TCA attends Marshall Legacy Institute Gala

TCA President G.Lincoln McCurdy attended the 17th Anniversary Gala of the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) on October 22 in Washington, DC. The "Clearing the Path Gala" honors leaders whose extraordinary efforts have improved lives in countries affected by landmines. This year, MLI honored Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) at the Gala and also recognized the 100,000 USD donation made by TCA to the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) to aid demining programs amid flood relief efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The TCA grant to the Marshall Legacy Institute's Bosnia programs will be fully matched by the U.S. Department of State.

TCA President Participates in Istanbul Conference

TCA President G.Lincoln McCurdy traveled to Turkey in October to address participants at the Istanbul Leadership Institute Lobbying and Public Advocacy Forum at Istanbul Sehir University. The event took place on October 24-26. McCurdy spoke about the role of NGO's and citizen advocates in the U.S. political process. In Istanbul, McCurdy also met with academics from various Turkish universities to discuss U.S.-Turkey relations and current affairs, and with Chuck Hunter, U.S. Consul General to Istanbul.

Turkish American becomes Staff Director on Capitol Hill

Naz Durakoglu, one of the six Turkish American staffers on Capitol Hill, has recently been promoted to Democratic Staff Director for the House Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. This is the first time a Turkish American has held such a position. She previously worked as the Legislative Director for Congressman William Keating (D-MA/9th).